Maelstrom of the Dead
by She Who Walks With Death
Summary: Uzumaki Naruto is the Guidance Counselor of Fujimi Academy, loved and respected by his co-workers and by the students. What they don't know is that he was in fact from a different world, a world where death and destruction was as common as having toast for breakfast. When They appear and the world around him is going to hell, will he be able to not only keep everyone alive but...
1. Day Before the Dead

**Disclaimer:** I don't own H.O.T.D. (Highschool of the Dead) or Naruto. Those rights belong to Daisuke Satō/Shōji Satō and Masashi Kishimoto respectively. I am just taking their characters hostage and forcing them to act out my sick fantasies.

**Pairing(s):** The pairings have pretty much been decided and shall become very apparent. If you all really want to know, I may post the pairings soon in one of the chapters just leave a review.

**Author's Note:** Alright, I blame the fact that I'm even doing one of these crossovers is due to the many that I've read myself. Some awesome, some with a need of massive alteration or correction to their plotline, but overall there were more awesome ones than bad ones. Hopefully this one won't fall into the latter category. Here is the prologue of _**Maelstrom of the Dead**_!

* * *

_**Maelstrom of the Dead**_

**Prologue: Day before the Dead**

Raking his fingers through his shaggy blond locks, Uzumaki Naruto the Guidance Counselor of Fujimi Academy glanced over at the brown-haired teen that was occupying his dark orange divan. Leaning back into his chair, his blue eyes slid over to look at the clock that was hanging above his door before sighing.

"Come on now Komuro-kun, this has been the 5th time you've snuck off in here to skip class this week! I don't need Kyoko-chan getting on my case about helping students be delinquents."

Turning his head, Komuro Takashi frowned at the 27-year-old man. Bringing a hand up to adjust the collar of his black school uniform, he folded his arms behind his head with a sigh.

"You know she would probably gut you if you called her that to her face…besides this is the only place I can go without being bothered, Saya knows where I usually go and would only nag at me and make things worse."

Shrugging, the blond leaned back into his black office chair and blew his bangs away from his face with a puff of air. "I can't help it really; I've just never been that big on honorifics and never will."

Grinning he winked towards the depressed teen, "Besides as much as she complains about my lack of manners, I don't think she actually minds it."

Takashi snorted as he flipped through his literature handout detailing a project that would be due at the end of the semester. Uzumaki Naruto was the most popular member of the school's staff, and his office was where some students frequently found themselves at without a thought when they had a problem.

He, Komuro Takashi, was one of them.

It was the second week into the semester and everything seemed to be going downhill for the brown-haired teen. Not only was the ever daunting fact that he had no plans for his future messing with him due to his mother's lectures over the break, but also the girl he loved had suddenly decided to date his best friend.

If he didn't know any better, Takashi would've wondered if his life was some kind of soap opera.

Rubbing his face in frustration, he furrowed his eyes as he looked over at the blond who was loosening the powder blue tie around his neck with a groan.

Ever since that day, Takashi had found himself skipping classes, and just hung around in the more abandoned halls near the front of the school. It was a way for him to avoid having to interact with the love of his life, and his best friend who had in a sense stolen her from him. But he soon moved from those once his childhood friend, Takagi Saya would find him and begin to nag.

As much as he appreciated her attempts at trying to cheer him up, the girl just sucked at giving pep talks. Most of them ended up making him feel a lot worst every time. It was on the last day of the first week that he had found a safe haven in the Guidance Counselor's room, and that was only because the blond adult had offered to lend an ear for his problems.

"_That's what a Guidance Counselor is here for after all. They didn't just hire me for my dashing looks Komuro-kun!"_

"I guess I just don't want to accept the way things are, and yet I don't have the courage to try and do something about it."

Blue eyes locked onto the teen, and seeing that he had the man's full attention. Takashi continued, "None of it seems to make sense to me…one moment I think Rei and I were going to eventually get together and all of a sudden she is dating Hisashi!"

Propping his arm on the armrest, he rested his cheek against it as observed the whirlwind of emotions that took place on the teen's face. Lifting his legs up, he rested them on the hardwood desk while taking care to not knock over any of the paperwork that he had painstakingly organized earlier that day.

"Ah yes, Miyamoto-chan and Igou-kun, the reasons for your recent bout of skipping classes."

Chuckling, the blond tilted his head to the side with a small grin.

"Ah, to be young and in love, the never-ending trials of love…man it has been a while since I've been through that."

Trailing off at the end of his sentence, his gaze drifted towards the picture that sat on his desk with unreadable eyes. Watching the man, Takashi raised an eyebrow and followed his gaze to the picture. Just as he was about to ask the blue-eyed man about it, a familiar voice came over the intercom.

"_**UZUMAKI-SAN! GET HERE THIS INSTANT!"**_

Cringing at the volume, the brown-haired teen watched as the usually cheerful man slumped down in his seat with a groan. Pushing himself out of his chair, Naruto made his way around his desk while grabbing the coat of his slate suit from around the back of his chair. Tugging it on one arm at a time, he grinned sheepishly at the boy lounging on the couch.

"It seems that I am scheduled in for another round of Kyoko-chan's lovely voice for the day, as much as I shouldn't allow it, you can stay here as long as you want."

Avoiding the man's gaze, he turned his head towards the wall.

Straightening out the suit top, he made his way to the door and stopped. Glancing over his shoulder, he allowed a small smile to form on his handsome face.

"While it may seem like it's the end of the world now, things will get better. Besides there is an old saying that if you love something then you should let it go, and if it comes back then it's truly worth something."

Despite trying to act uninterested in the information, the gakuran-wearing teen closed his eyes. "Has that something ever come back…I-I mean for you?"

He blushed as he felt the blond's eyes on him as he took on step out of his office.

Clenching the doorknob, Naruto grimaced and the sadness and resignation he felt spiked for a second before it was once again grabbed a hold of and locked up. Bringing a hand up to scratch the back of his head, Naruto grinned sheepishly while tilting his head back.

"Sorry but I've never had much luck getting anything back, but just maybe your situation will have a different result than with my situation."

Stuffing one hand into the pocket of his slacks, he waved over his shoulder with a chuckle, "Well I better go face my maker or she'll come storming down the hall looking for me…later Komuro-kun."

"See ya…"

The door closed with a resounding click.

Turning his body onto his side, brown eyes closed as another deep sigh left his lips. Opening his eyes, he looked over in the direction of the Guidance Councilor's desk and the picture he had been looking at so sadly. Getting up from his spot, he grabbed the frame and turned it around. Much to his surprise there was the blond councilor standing with a woman, who was tugging on his cheek with a playful smirk on her face.

Despite the obvious abuse that he was receiving, Uzumaki had been grinning from ear to ear while holding two ice cream cones as they stood in an unrecognizable theme park. The two of them seem really happy together, and the teen briefly wondered what happened. From the blue-eyed man's tone, Takashi easily concluded that the two of them were no longer together.

'_I really wonder if it's possible, because if these two who were together and seemed so happy didn't work out…is there even a possibility…'_

Shaking his head, he placed the picture back in its place and made himself at home back on the divan. While he appreciated the blond's words, Takashi knew that things between him, Rei, and his best friend would never be how it was.

Walking down the hall, Naruto sighed while stuffing his hands into his pockets. The situation that the 2nd year in his office was going through just brought up some of the more unpleasant memories for the Guidance Counselor. Raking his fingers through his hair, the blue-eyed man looked out the window onto the students running around the track.

'_It has been 12 years since I woke up to find myself here…in this new world where those like me were only featured in anime and manga…a world devoid of Shinobi.'_

The last thing he remembered before waking up in a hospital was the moon, which contained the newly reformed Juubi. He could remember everything that had to be sacrificed in order to get where he was. All the people that died during the 4th Great Shinobi War, with all the Shinobi villages facing off against Uchiha Madara and his crazy plan of a fake yet peaceful world.

Naruto could remember how heavy it was to carry all the hopes and dreams of the world, and how he did his best to not stumble under the pressure. Battle after battle they fought, and not only the Shinobi but the Kyuubi as well. The nine-tailed fox that had lived in his navel for all his 15 years of life had become a great ally after the blond had declared that he would break through the hatred that clouded the mighty beast's heart and mind.

He was Naruto's constant companion and his only support when it seemed that the entire world was out to get him, especially after some began to fear the ever growing control he got over the Kyuubi's malevolent chakra.

Sakura and Sai especially were also some of his closest companions. Their short time as Team Yamato had caused them to seek each other's presence when things got too rough. After the death of Yamato due to the Zetsu clones and Kakashi's second death against the resurrected Uchiha Obito, it had been the three of them left.

But that too didn't last long.

Sai had been killed in one of their bases in a surprise attack by Uchiha Sasuke while trying to keep the deranged Uchiha, who had been trying to track down Naruto, distracted. That night he and Sakura had comforted each other, which only saddened the blond more.

If he had this opportunity before all this happened, Naruto knew he would've been delighted to finally be intimate with his first love. But that night wasn't anything he could find pleasure in. That night they spent under the moonlight in each other's arms, lost in ecstasy only left a bitter taste in the Jinchūriki's mouth.

After that, the last two members of Team Yamamoto had thrown themselves completely into the war. Naruto would fight until he was about to collapse, and Sakura would heal till she reached the same limit. The other remnants of the Konoha 11 were worried, but there was nothing they could say to turn the two from such destructive paths.

Then once more Naruto was forced to feel loss when Sasuke finally managed to track him down and attacked. Naruto had long since gotten over the idea of bringing the Uchiha back, as it was obvious that the boy he once considered a friend if not a brother was gone. In his place was a rabid dog.

A rabid dog that the Jinchūriki needed to put down before it hurt anyone else.

* * *

_Finally Naruto had Sasuke right where he wanted him, bound by ninja wire lined with explosive tags. The Uchiha was practically frothing at the mouth as he spat curses in blind hatred at the blond as the wires tightened around his body, zapping any chakra that he tried to call forth. He yelled about how he had made Sai suffer, and how it was Naruto's fault for not being there to stop it from happening. _

_And when Naruto didn't allow himself to show how much the words affected him, Sasuke only grew angrier. _

_Right as he was going to activate the seals, he stiffened in pain and looked down to see the blade of Sasuke's discarded tanto sticking out through his stomach. Turning his head to the side, he felt his heart break at the sight of Sakura staring him straight in the eye as she pushed the blade further into him before pulling it out roughly. _

_Falling forward, his body hit the ground that caused him to cough up blood that splattered on the battle-torn ground._

"_Together…"_

_Peering up at Sakura with bleary eyes, he noticed the unhinged look that was on her pretty face. _

"_Together…we should die together…you, Sasuke-kun, and I…we'll be with Kakashi-sensei again…we'll be Team 7 again."_

_Naruto felt Kyuubi's chakra begin to slowly heal the internal damage just as his eyes closed. From the slow rate he was healing, the blond registered that the blade had been laced with the poison that the alliance had come up with to use against the Bijuu. _

_He felt a familiar pair slender but toned arms wrapping around him. Sasuke's frantic cries reached his ears as a kiss was pressed against his cheek, and then agony consumed him._

* * *

The day he had ended the war was the same day he had woke to find that Sakura and Sasuke both had died in the explosion, and he only just made it due the Kyuubi forcefully flooding his body with its chakra at the last second.

A desolate and vengeful Naruto faced and defeated the immortal Uchiha, and then sealed the Juubi into the moon.

Moments later, he collapsed as his heart ceased beating. He had firmly believed when he closed his eyes, that he would finally be reunited with his deceased loved ones. So it was a surprise for him to wake up in a hospital room, hooked up to multiple (obviously) high-tech machines that he had never seen before and the scream of a civilian nurse on duty.

12 years later after having to create a new identity for himself in this world, he now found himself here helping mold the minds of the future. Watching the people of this world, Naruto couldn't help but feel a sense of envy towards them.

In this world they didn't have to worry about fighting for their lives, nor were they trained from the time they could walk to one day give up their lives in defense of their community. The only people who could possibly understand how he felt were people in the military.

'_It was a main reason **her** and I had hit it off in the first place…this mutual feeling of exclusion from the regular masses despite being right there with them…knowing that with the slightest hesitation, we could end their life before they blinked.'_

Shaking his head, the man sighed.

He really had no time to lament on his crappy track record with romance, not to mention the feelings that started to crop up whenever he thought of _**her**_.

"Uzumaki-san, there you are!"

Looking up, Naruto saw the lovely form of Hayashi Kyoko marching towards him with a stormy expression. Slapping a grin on his face, he lifted a hand in greeting while moving forward to face the music for whatever he had done this time to gain the woman's ire.

He may have been displaced from his original world. Naruto wouldn't let it get him down. This world had offered him another chance. In this world, he didn't need to fight for his life every day, or keep one eye open as you sleep in order to make sure ally or enemy didn't stab you in the back.

Breathing in deeply, he felt his spirits lift a bit.

That day, neither Naruto nor anyone else had any idea of the horrors that would occur or how much their lives would change.

Naruto would once again be forced to take up the mantle of leader in order to save the people whose lives they will entrust to him.

* * *

So that is the end of the prologue people, please tell me what you think while I go work on the next chapter. Hopefully I'll be getting some nice comments and if not then at least some constructive criticism I guess. No flames though, as they will only be used to cook my steak, and I love my steak well-done.

...On second thought, send me the flames!

8D

**Next Time**

**Chapter 1: Spring of the Dead**

"_After today, the world you all knew will be gone forever."_


	2. Spring of the Dead, Part I

**Disclaimer:** I don't own H.O.T.D. (Highschool of the Dead) or Naruto. Those rights belong to Daisuke Satō/Shōji Satō and Masashi Kishimoto respectively. I am just taking their characters hostage and forcing them to act out my sick fantasies.

**Pairing(s):** Well since it seems to be an issue cropping up with some people on the pairing. I've decided to just give you guys a hint of one character that is going to be in what essentially will grow into Naruto's hopefully realistically developed harem…Shizuka. Hopefully that will keep you guys satisfied for now. I'll reveal one more girl for every chapter I post and what pairing they will most likely be in. Three people that will not be included in any pairing besides their canon pairings are Rei Miyamoto, Yuriko Takagi, and Kiriko Miyamoto.

**Author's Note:** So here we are at the first chapter of _**Maelstrom of the Dead**_! I'd like to thank everyone for their awesome reviews. Hopefully I'll be able to keep this up and continue to receive this amount of feedback. Though I've actually come up with multiple Naruto/Sekirei crossovers and due to this story cover thing on , I've already made several for them as well. The choices are between a Naruto/Karasuba fic, a Naruto/Akitsu fic, and a Naruto/Tsukiumi fic. You can tell me which you would prefer in a review. Also this is the completely _**unbeta-ed**_ version, and I apologize for grammar mistakes and such. I just wanted to post something for you all to read since you've waited so patiently so far. 8D

* * *

_**Maelstrom of the Dead**_

**Chapter 1: Spring of the Dead**

"_Naruto, Naruto…"_

_Twitching a bit at the sound of his name, Naruto groaned while placing his pillow over his head as if to block out the voice. But due to his enhanced hearing, he knew it was futile._

_Not that it would stop him from doing it regardless though._

"_Naruto…NARUTO!"_

_Jumping at the exclamation of his name, his eyes snapped open and he looked up into a pair of red eyes he had come to fall in love with. A mischievous smirk slithered onto her face as the slender woman was suddenly straddling his lap. Hands ran calloused fingertips through his sleep-mused hair, and he couldn't resist the temptation to lean forward and press his forehead against her collarbone._

"_You know, you should really get up fox-face…wouldn't do for you to be late and all would it?"_

_Grumbling, Naruto nuzzled into her collarbone all the while placing feather light kisses on the parts of her skin that were close enough to his mouth._

"_I…don't wanna…"_

_Snorting, the woman tilted her head to the side and her violet hair pooled over her shoulder._

"_No, I really think you should wake up…after all, how exactly are you going to explain the fact that you're sleeping next to your co-worker right now fox-face?"_

* * *

Jolting up in his bed, Naruto breathed deeply and raggedly as he found himself out of the realm of dreams and back into reality to face another day. Rubbing his face with his hands, he allowed himself some time to calm down. Once he was sure that his heart wasn't going to implode in his chest, Naruto fell back onto his pillow with a sigh.

Bringing an arm over to block his eyes from the rays of sunlight that managed to peek through his curtains, he gritted his teeth and balled his fists.

It had been a while since he last dreamed of his ex-girlfriend, Rika Minami, and he knew it had been due to the discussion he had with Komuro the previous day.

The only time he ever dreamed about his Ex was whenever she was brought up in a conversation.

Well that and after a night of heavy drinking, which he had done last night after being invited to the faculty outing by Kyoko after she had finished putting him through the ringer. He remembered agreeing before heading off to the nearest bar with the rest of the teachers, and after the third or fourth serving of Sake…things started to get a little fuzzy.

Sighing, he lifted his arm up and away from his eyes while turning to face the other side of his bed. Reaching out to grasp the pillow that remained unmolested on his bed, he stopped as his eyes landed on sleeping figure that shouldn't have been there. Immediately he stiffened in place, his jaw dropped, and his blue eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.

Lying next to him with nothing but the thin sheets of his bed covering her curvaceous body was Hayashi Kyoko.

His _**co-worker**_!

For a moment he did nothing but stare before hopping off of the bed without causing the other to wake up at the sudden movement. Backing up into the wall, Naruto ran his hand through his hair in frustration while he mentally cussed up a storm.

'_I can't believe this! I haven't done something like this in years…plus it's Kyoko-chan, a co-worker of mine that I slept with not some random girl from a bar!'_

Naruto groaned at the fact that he had broken one of his own sacred rules.

Sleeping with co-workers had become a big no-no for Naruto in this world, especially after the first crazy semi-relationship he had found himself in while working at one of those fast food restaurants when he was still in High School. After everything that bat-shit crazy girl had put him through, Naruto had made a rule for himself about co-workers.

The people you worked with were awesome friends, and unless you were interested in pursuing a real relationship with them….DON'T DO IT!

As if hearing his thoughts, a moan slipped from Kyoko's lips as she slowly began to leave the arms of Morpheus. He watched as she sleepily pushed herself up from her pillow, causing the sheets to slip down and expose her creamy skin, various love bits littering her skin, to his gaze. Sleep-mused blood red hair tumbled over her shoulders and shielded her breast from his eyes, but still managed to accentuate the fact that she was gifted in the chest department.

Bringing up a hand to rub at her eyes, the Ping pong club's advisor's kiss-swollen lips parted as she yawned softly. Sleepy honey-colored eyes glanced up at him through long lashes, and for a moment Naruto couldn't believe that this was the strict woman who had made it her goal to turn him into a "respectable adult".

"Naruto-kun…?"

It was at that moment when Naruto's heart dropped into his stomach.

How was he going to deal with this situation?

"What time is it?"

Unable to resist the urge, he brought a hand up and scratched the back of his head nervously.

"It's about 7:00 a.m. I guess…from how the sun is now beginning to peek through my window."

Grumbling a bit, the redhead rubbed her eye before muffling a soft yawn. Unknown to her, her smallest movements caused the sheets to slip off just a bit more. Naruto's eyes widened before he turned his head to look away. Yeah, it may seem strange for a man his age to act this way, but it was just a safety precaution.

The two of them had slept together that was right, but there was the underlying fact that their decisions were most likely influenced by alcohol.

It wouldn't due for Kyoko to realize that, and lash out at him while calling him a pervert. Not that it's happened before in other situations, but there would always be the anticipation when spending most of his life around bi-polar Kunoichi who would hit you just for breathing the wrong way in their direction. But her reaction wasn't anything like he thought it would be.

"7:00! I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE UP AN HOUR AGO!"

Naruto could do naught but blink as Kyoko became a blur within the room, which for a moment almost made him wonder if she was using chakra to enhance her speed. She quickly gathered her clothes which, along with his own, had been strewn around his bedroom as they found their way to the bed last night.

Tilting his head, he watched as she hopped around as she tried to put one leg into her stockings.

"Ummm, Kyoko-chan what is the big rush?"

Buttoning up her shirt, Kyoko barely threw him a glance as she brought her hair up into a messy bun.

"Unlike you Uzumaki-san, I have a schedule that I like to keep, which dictates that I would be there for my early club meetings with everything already set up."

For a moment, Naruto only scratched his head with a small chuckle.

'_She reverted back to **Uzumaki**-san?'_

"It's too early in the morning to be so mean Hayashi-chan!"

After she grabbed her purse, Naruto watched as she made her way towards the door and couldn't help but notice the extra sway in her hips. Of course, he soon realized that he had been staring as the hips suddenly moved and he was snapped from his gaze at the sound of her clearing her throat. Jumping a bit, he slowly dragged his eyes up the curvy expanse of her body until his blue connected with half-lidded honey.

Bringing his hand up to his mouth, Naruto cleared his throat and he could feel a bit of heat gathering in his cheeks. Not much, but only those who were really observant would be able to tell.

"Before you go, I thought it would be good to discuss what happened last night…"

He didn't get to finish his sentence as his cellphone decided at that moment to ring. Giggling, the redhead turned the knob of his door.

"As much as I would love to Uzumaki-san, I think we should hold it off until later don't you think? I'm sure that's a poor student who is calling you in their time of need."

Officially confused at this one-eighty from the other, he just scratched the back of his head.

"I…I guess you're right."

Nodding, she took one step before glancing over her shoulder.

"Besides, you'll never know…maybe some time to think about it will do some good."

Stepping out of the room, Kyoko closed the door behind her before letting him reply in turn to that comment. Leaning against the door, her confident and unaffected mask fell as her face became a cherry red. Slapping her hands to her burning face, she began to walk away while her heart was beating a mile per second.

'_I can't believe I acted like that! Why did I follow Eimi-chan's advice? Now Uzumaki-san will probably think that I'm some kind of slut!'_

After months of talking with her old friend and planning, she had finally gained the courage last night to make her move on the handsome Guidance Counselor. The last thing she wanted to do was ruin her image, and have him think of her as some slut. Unfortunately, Eimi, her friend, had advised that she shouldn't act the way she usually did after she got to this point.

Kyoko could count the number of times that she had gotten to this stage and how things just got plain awkward in the morning due to her usual clingy behavior after sex. Not that anyone could blame her. Here she was, a beautiful 30-year-old woman, with no steady man in her life. It was a large point of shame for her, though she didn't usually let it show.

There was a time where she didn't believe she needed a man, and left a lot of men heartbroken.

'_Maybe this was my punishment?'_

Shaking her head, the ping pong club's advisor shook her head. This was not the time for her to get those kinds of thoughts in her head. Unlike the other times, she was sure that Uzumaki Naruto would be a better choice than the other men she had tried to date and failed. And it wasn't like the man wasn't attracted to her from what happened last night, and how easily distracted he was from her body.

All she needed to do was play it cool, and reel the man in. Yes, she knew that some of the other female staff also had their eyes set on the man but she was going to get him first. If there was anyone that she had to worry about it was Shizuka Marikawa, the school nurse, who seemed to have some sort of connection to Naruto if their friendly interaction was anything to come by. Most wouldn't consider her a threat due to her air-headed nature, but Kyoko wasn't one of them.

You would have to be blind if you didn't see the way the blonde woman would stared at him when he wasn't looking, and she knew then that if she decided to pursue the Guidance Counselor than the nurse would be her opponent. Forcing herself out of that train of thought, she cursed as she glanced down at her watch. She would have only a little time to get herself ready properly for the day, and then to prepare to make her next move before any of the other females get any ideas.

'_While they are all wasting their times pining after him, I will be making my move and I will get him."_

Kyoko's lips curved up into a determined smile, and somehow she had the feeling that day was going to be an interesting day.

Inside his room, Naruto continued to stare at the door in total befuddlement as he tried to grasp what exactly had happened. Here he was, ready to have the usual morning after conversation that could be reserved for his situation. Kyoko's reaction had been very surprising, and honestly made him curious. But he was then pulled back into the real world as his phone seemed to ring louder as if to bring him back. Picking it up from the side table, he flipped the top open and pressed it to his ear.

"You've reached the phone of Uzumaki Naruto, the handsome, dashing, and currently confused Guidance Counselor of Fujimi Academy! How may I help you?"

A choked giggle filtered across the phone, "U-Uzumaki-s-sensei?"

Blinking for a second, the blond's eyes narrowed in concern as his playfulness slipped from his countenance.

"Miku-chan?"

Standing up from his bed, he immediately made his way towards his closet and pulled out a navy blue suit. Pulling the phone from his ear for a second, he saw that the number indicated that the girl was calling from his office. Bringing it back to his ear, he continued to placate the obviously distraught girl while getting everything he would need ready.

"Are you in my office alone?"

Washing his face with a warm face cloth, he blinked in surprise. "Imamura-kun is there with you? Alright, make sure that you stay there for now…I'll be there in no longer than 20 minutes."

After reassuring her a bit more, the blond hung up and rushed into the shower.

It seemed that he wouldn't get that extra hour of sleep today, and he was a bit glad for it. He would need to have something to work on just to get his mind off of not only his dream, but also the strange behavior of his co-worker. Not that he could say the unexpected behavior hadn't caught his interests, because that would be a lie, but he couldn't allow his thoughts to go any further on that subject.

Not until he found out her intent later on.

Hopping out of the shower, he quickly dried off and got ready. Tugging on her tie, he grabbed the slice of toast that popped out. Placing the toast between his teeth, he grabbed his briefcase and keys while walking towards his door. But right before he touched the doorknob, he stopped completely as a feeling of dread spiraled down his spine.

Narrowing his eyes, he couldn't stop that old reaction to reach towards the kunai pouch that was no longer on his right thigh. His body was tense, and ready to strike out at anything that moved. For a moment, the room was too still, too quiet, but then sound of his cellphone pierced through the silence. Reaching down into his pants pocket, he flipped open the phone while setting his briefcase near the door.

Talking on the phone, he quickly went towards his closet and pulled out a large footlocker. Shifting through his old clothes he kept a memento, a grim frown formed on his face as he found what he was looking for. At the bottom of his footlocker were five scrolls, all lined up with the kanji for "release" glowing for a second as his reached forward and grabbed them. Before closing the footlocker, he grabbed his old hip pouch, and kunai holster.

"I don't know why, but I think it will be better to be safe than sorry…"

Shaking the holster a bit, he heard the clang of his kunai hitting each other. Grabbing his briefcase, he opened the clasp and slipped the kunai pouch inside before clipping his hip pouch underneath his suit jacket. Walking out of his room, he looked back once more before closing the door. Somehow, he felt that this would be the last time he came here.

Why, he didn't know but he did know to trust his instincts.

They had been what had kept him alive all these years.

She breathed evenly despite her erratic movements while swinging her bokken in an arch. Narrowed blue eyes focused on a non-existent enemy before she launched herself forward. The fabric of her practice haori and hakama swirled along with her movements. Her wooden sword cut through the air with the all the sharpness of a true blade. Anyone who was standing near her would've felt the breeze of each stroke of her blade.

'_It has been five years since I last challenged him and lost.'_

That man had defeated her.

Saeko Busujima, the daughter of Busujima family head.

The heir to their family's deadly style had been defeated by a young man, who Saeko had at first believed was nothing but a fool. Even now she can remember the amused look he possessed when he was first told to face her in battle. Noticing the look, she had every intention that day of beating him to a pulp as a lesson in underestimating her.

Instead, he ended up showing her how much she overestimated herself by beating her with a single strike with the bokken he borrowed after batting aside every strike she herself had made.

Coming to stop as she was about to make a killing blow to her invisible opponent, the Kendo Club's captain exhaled as she stood up straight. Swinging her sword of to the side, she closed her eyes. After a moment of silence, she shook her head and made her way towards the showers in the locker room. While her first class wouldn't start until later in the morning, she had finished her training session for the day.

'_Today I shall challenge him once more, and force him to remember the promise he had made me that day.'_

Before leaving her room, she had called her father and informed him of her intention.

Thankfully he had given her his blessings.

Now she only had to achieve her goal.

Quickly slipping out of her clothes, she threw her towel over the side of the stall. Turning on the water, she shivered at the small burst of cold water before giving a pleased hum at the heated water that hit her skin. Running a hand through her hair, she gazed up at the ceiling with a mysterious smile.

'_Today's the day that you reap what you sow, Uzumaki-san."_

Before he could take a sip of his coffee, Naruto sneezed. Rubbing his nose, he glanced around with narrowed eyes. Someone was thinking or talking about him, whether nicely or maliciously he had no idea. Though sense he didn't react like he did before he left his room, he decided that it most likely wasn't a threat to his health.

Shaking his head, Naruto turned his attention towards the teenager who was sitting on the divan.

Miku Yuuki, another frequent occupant of his room.

'_Not that I blame her though, especially with her situation.'_

The woman's situation wasn't anything new, and Naruto himself had seen it happen when he was in high school and even in Konoha when things went to hell. Yuuki was a young woman with strong sex appeal, and that has caused some female peers to grow jealous. It was no secret, even among the staff that the light-haired girl was sought after by many of the male students, but to their knowledge (besides malicious rumors) hadn't actually accepted any of their advances.

But due to said malicious rumors, there was a barrier of some sort between her and the other students. Most of the females considered her as a loose girl, while the males lust after her. With that kind of behavior from her fellow students, it hadn't been a surprise that she had ended up being a part of his regular visitors.

Currently, Yuuki was sipping a batch of his _Jasmine Oolong _tea, which he had made for her as soon as he reached his office. The girl had mentioned liking it during one of their meetings, and he had made it for her whenever she appeared. Like so many of the others, he had come to know her very well and had offered his office as a sanctuary. But thankfully, she didn't take advantage of his offer as frequently as other students, which resulted in him getting in trouble with Kyoko.

'_Alright, not even going to think about her right now…'_

Glancing over at the door, he saw his other early morning visitor, whom had actually scheduled to speak with him today.

Imamura Daisuke was one of his more severe cases when he first arrived at Fujimi Academy.

Being the stereotypical example of a delinquent, the other teachers had pretty much given up on him from the very start. Much to his disgust, Naruto could remember another colleague of his commenting that wasting time on him was unnecessary due to being certain the boy would end up in prison anyway.

Now here the boy was in his second year, and while his record was spotless…he was still beating the odds against him. Grinning at the uncomfortable looking teen, he gestured towards an armchair that was sitting near the window. Sighing, he moved towards the room but not before placing a metal pipe onto his desk. Blinking in confusion, he turned to look at the auburn-haired young man with a questioning look.

"Imamura-kun?"

Plopping down in the armchair, he frowned before gesturing his head towards the quiet girl.

"One of those wannabe punks was carrying it around, while his friend was bothering Miku."

Brushing his hair away from his face, he sighed.

"I decided it would be best for everyone if I confiscated the weapon, as it was completely obvious the idiot had no idea of how to use it in the first place."

Scratching the back of his head, Naruto shook his head with an exasperated sigh of his own.

"Let me guess, Tsunoda's little group?"

Getting no answer, Naruto's frown deepened.

Tsunoda Hayato and his group of flunkies had been a major problem, and a thorn in his and his main students' sides. Unfortunately, any attempt that Naruto made to stop the group was blocked by a certain individual in the faculty, who reminded the blond too much of a certain Snake Sannin.

That person was Shido Koichi.

Since Naruto had started taking the underdogs of the school under his wing, the man had always been there to either direct his attention away or even prevent him from doing something outright. There have even been attempts from the man to befriend him, but the blond's instincts had prevented him from even trying. Like the situation with Miyamoto Rei. After coming to realize how much Komura-kun had come to like the girl, he had made sure to keep an eye on her.

It was due to her that he had his first official confrontation with the slimy man.

'_That is also the reason why I try to go above and beyond for the students who need me now….'_

Rubbing his face, he shook his head and plastered a grin on. Turning to look at the two, he clapped his hands together. "Well how about this, I'll be needing some help today with something or other…so I'll name you two my assistants for the day!"

A smile blossomed on the girl's face, while the boy only scoffed.

"Why would I agree to be your assistant old man?"

Gawking at the younger male, and brought a hand to his chest in mock hurt.

"O-Old man? Imamura-kun, I'm hurt!"

Flopping back into his seat comically, Naruto placed the back of his other hand against his forehead as if he were about to faint from shock.

"How could you call me old, Imamura-kun? I'm 27! I am in no way old! In fact you could say that I'm in my prime!"

Yuuki laughed while Imamura only scoffed once more, but couldn't help the small tilt at the side of his mouth at the Guidance Counselor antics.

The man had practically been a godsend to them and many others.

Unlike other teachers he was actually concerned about their problems, and helped them instead of throwing them head-first into the pool and hope they could keep themselves from drowning. Imamura himself knew that he owed the man a lot, and had made a promise to himself that sometime in the future he would pay the man back for everything he's done for him.

'_Sometimes…I even wonder if this is what it's like to have a father.'_

Watching as the blond man consoling the obviously saddened girl only caused the delinquent to have even more respect for him.

'_He has a way with females, my age and older.'_

Brown eyes paid attention to the adoration that entered the girl's eyes when the blue-eyed man placed a hand on her shoulder, and sighed at the man's obliviousness to girl's obvious more than platonic feelings for him. If there was one thing he hoped he didn't take after the man in was his apparent obliviousness towards the opposite sex.

Thirty minutes passed by and soon the first bell for class rang, and a few minutes after that the morning announcements also followed. Sitting in his chair, Naruto turned on his computer and began to read his emails that he was sure to have received. Imamura was sitting by his the window still, tossing one of the stress balls that the blond had lying around on his desk. Yuuki was lying along on the divan reading one of the books that was on the bookshelf near the end of the lounge chair.

It was a very peaceful atmosphere and the two teens allowed themselves to bask in the warm and homey feeling the office gave them. Naruto leaned against his knuckles with a raised brow as he looked at the email sent to him from the P.E. teacher, Teshima Kazuma. Shaking his head at the passive aggressive email, Naruto nonchalantly clicked the delete button.

Despite his efforts, the older man had always seemed to hold a dislike of him since he arrived on campus. The man had taken one look at him, and did nothing but sneer at him at every meeting all the while posturing. If Naruto didn't know any better, he would think that Teshima thought himself some kind of alpha male and found him as a threat.

Running a hand through his hair, he then turned to his other emails without another thought to the other man. Clicking on some of the notes about certain events taking place during the week, he clicking scanned for the more important details and smiled at the news that his suggested group had been approved.

Over the summer break he had come up with the idea of a support group for most of the students who frequently found themselves in his office. He thought of it as a way for them all to meet and befriend one another all the while helping them all to improve themselves and each other. Naruto knew that these kids could make a true difference in the world around them, and they only needed others who are in the same position as them to see that. Besides if they made true friends amongst each other, then it would be a bonus. Saving the notice, he decided to keep it a secret until the end of the week.

'_I'll email them all and have them turn up in the library, though I have to make sure that Komuro shows up…knowing him he would try to find some way to make himself scarce if he even had an inkling of what I planned to do…I should probably ask Shizuka-chan if she wouldn't mind being the co-advisor for the club'_

Laughing mentally at the surprisingly shy young man, his mind then moved onto the blonde nurse.

Marikawa Shizuka was an old friend of his and the best friend of his ex-girlfriend. He had taken to looking after the blonde when she had become the school's nurse. Due to her looks, Naruto knew that she would be targeted by most of the men and so far they had the brains to know that they had better stay away. It had been during one of his checkups on her that he had run the idea by her, and she had suggested the trips in the first place.

Soon he finished his emails, and moved onto some reports paperwork that he had to finish filling out. For his club, he had a few trips planned out during the year and he wanted to get all of this out of the way. This continued for a good chunk of the time period before a knock at the door caused he to stop.

"Uzumaki-san! Are you in there?"

Pushing himself up from his seat, he quickly gestured for the two students to pretend to being doing something "constructive". Fixing his tie, he cleared his throat and walked towards the door. Opening it, he grinned widely at the scowling visage of Kyoko. Bringing a hand up to scratch the back his neck he chuckled.

"Hey Hayashi-chan! To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Her scowl only deepened as she stared at him suspiciously, clicking her tongue. She swiftly moved past him into the room, and her eyes immediately landed on the two students who appeared to…actually being constructive. Miku Yuuki, as she recognized the girl from her looks due to gossip, was reading a book that she knew Wakisaka had assigned for the first semester. The other, Imamura Daisuke, Naruto's pet project, as some of the other teachers called him. He seemed to be writing something, but taking a closer look, it seemed to be some makeup work for Eimi's class that she had mentioned he needed to finish.

Letting her hands slip from her hips, she briefly looked surprised before turning her back to them and looking towards the proudly grinning Guidance Counselor. Crossing her arms under her chest – briefly feeling satisfied that he glanced at her chest before raising his eyes – she frowned.

"There is a situation near the front gate, and I thought that you should come along…I thought you would be good for this situation."

Once again that feeling of dread raced through him, and Naruto's playful exterior faded much to the surprise of everyone in the room. A grim look was on his face, and he stared at other faculty member with sharp blue eyes. "What kind of situation are we talking about exactly?"

Shaking herself from her daze, she berated herself.

"Apparently Teshima had noticed a man who apparently had been standing at the front gate, they first tried talking to him but got nothing…he just stares at us."

Wrapping her arms around herself, she bit her lip before continuing.

"Before I left to come get you, he had proposed an aggressive approach but I persuaded him that there was another way…unfortunately knowing Teshima he won't wait much longer, so I hope that you'll come to the gate and sort this matter out."

Everything in Naruto's being screamed out that something wasn't right, and it was only by the strength of Naruto's will that kept him from reaching down into his hip pouch under his jacket. Forcing a smile on his face, he nodded.

"Sure, I don't mind at all….not everything has to be solved through violence…the man's probably just lost and needs some directions…and with how the economy is these days…he's probably drunk out of his mind!"

Taking a glance at the teenagers in the room, Naruto grinned.

"How about you two stay here and wait till I get back?"

For a moment, they did nothing but nod and for that moment he felt happy satisfied that they would follow his instructions. Placing a hand on Kyoko's shoulders, he waggled his eyebrows at her.

"Come along Hayashi-chan! We don't want to let all that unneeded testosterone to go to old Teshima's head do we?"

Clicking her tongue once again in mock annoyance, she shook of his hand and walked out of the office. Winking at the two teens, he closed the door behind him.

As the door closed behind him, Yuuki sighed. Leaning her forehead into the book, she lamented on the man not recognizing her feelings for him.

"You know, the only way he is going to realize you like him is if you threw yourself at him with 'I like you!' plastered across your forehead right?"

Immediately at hearing those words, her face turned a bright red and she turned to glare at the other teen who was now sitting on the windowsill smoking a cigarette.

"W-what are you talking about? What gave you that idea that I like Uzumaki-sensei?"

Rolling his eyes, he exhaled releasing a wispy stream of smoke.

"I would've had to be blind not to see the ways you look at him, and don't worry you're not the only one…though I never thought the old man would catch the eye of a woman like Hayashi-san."

Gaping at him, she leaned towards him with wide eyes.

"Hayashi-san likes Uzumaki-sensei?"

Imamura smirked, "And here I thought all females are observant."

The glare he received in result of his words only caused him laugh.

Naruto instincts were going wild as he and Kyoko got closer and closer to the front doors of the school. Everything in him was telling him to eliminate the threat, to destroy it utterly. He could feel his body tensing up with every step towards the front doors, and his chakra practically humming under his skin; ready to be used. As Kyoko opened the doors and he stepped through he knew that he would forever remember the scene that signaled the end of the peaceful life he has lived in this world.

He could see a small group of faculty members standing around in a semi-circle near the gate. Only one person was actually standing at the gate, and he would always be able to recognize the messy hairstyle of Teshima. Unfortunately, it seemed that Kyoko had been right and he had decided to go with more aggressive methods to get rid of their "visitor". But it wasn't the obvious front that the man was trying to put up for everyone.

No, it was the scent that Naruto's nose picked up in the breeze that drifted from the gates direction.

The scent was something that he hadn't expected to ever smell again after leaving it behind in his own world.

It was the smell of death.

Before he could stop himself, his words leapt from his throat.

"TESHIMA! GET AWAY FROM THE GATE!"

Everyone in the semi-circle turned to look at him as he and Kyoko made their way towards them.

Teshima only snorted and smirked over his shoulder, "Ah, so Hayashi went to go get you Uzumaki? Well, I'll tell you that…!"

Pain burned through the P.E. teacher's shoulder. Crying out in pain, he snaps his head to his front and stared in horrified shock to see the man's mouth clamped on his arm as if it were trying to rip it from the socket. The other teachers near him immediately ran forward in order to help him. Naruto stood in place with Kyoko next to him, who had her hands up covering her mouth as she watched the other teachers tried to help their colleague get loose.

Naruto's eyes dilated as his chakra roared, begging to be released and destroy the threat. He watched almost paralyzed as the man released Teshima. There he stood as he watched Teshima scream some more before falling down to the ground as if his legs had been cut off beneath him. All the other teachers standing around were getting frantic, and blue eyes were pinned on the body that soon became still after a few seconds of writhing on the floor.

He was dead; Naruto heard his heart stop.

One of the other teachers, Tsukino Eimi had moved to his side. Kyoko was grasping his arm as she watched the proceedings in horror.

"Teshima-san? Teshima-san?"

The petite woman placed her hand on his body and suddenly the downed teacher's scent shifted to mirror their 'cannibalistic' guest's. Putting one foot forward, the pupils of his eyes thinned to slits as he realized the meaning.

"Get away from him, Tsukino-san!"

Frowning, the woman narrowed her eyes at him as she turned her head to look at him, and it proved to be fatal mistake.

"What are you talking about, Uzumaki-san? Can't you see that Teshima-san needs help, I know that you two have had you're differences but-"

Teshima's body shook once more, and he slowly began to sit up. Immediately other teachers noticed and moved forward, and even Kyoko would've if it hadn't been for Naruto grabbing her. Eimi leaned forward with a smile, and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Are you alright Teshima-san? Do you need medical attention?"

But she didn't get an answer; the man turned his head in her direction and lunged forward. Opening his mouth wider than what should be physically possible, he ripped into her neck as she screams. The other teachers gasp in shock and revulsion but Naruto finally snapped out of it. Reigning in his wild emotions, he disappeared from Kyoko's side and kicked the P.E.'s teacher away from the Math teacher's writhing body.

Landing on his feet, he watched as Teshima's body flew into the gate and dented it from the strength of the impact. Trying to catch his breath, he is shocked to hear another scream from behind him. Spinning on the heel of his shoes, he was shocked to see Eimi now biting on another teacher, who had apparently knocked Kyoko out of the way if what he was witnessing was correct. Moving to go towards her, he was surprised to hear movement from behind him.

Glancing over his shoulder, he watched in morbid fascination as Teshima slowly staggered up to his feet while moaning inhumanly. Kyoko's voice wrenched his attention back to her.

"NARUTO!"

In a blur he was by the woman's side, kicking the lunging body of one of the other teachers who had apparently been beaten. Another made an attempt at him, and he lashed out with his leg hard enough to cave the undead teacher's head in. Much to his surprise, the body flopped down lifelessly and its scent changed. Kyoko clutched at Naruto's shirt as tears welled up in her eyes; he in response wrapped her arms around her while taking in the sluggish bodies of the other teachers coming towards them.

"We need to get in the school and help the students…"

Looking at all the windows, his eyes latched onto two figures.

"Komuro! Go warn the other students! Get your friends and try to find somewhere safe!"

Without another word to the boy as he ran off or warning, he quickly got Kyoko in his arms bridal style and hopped over the hands reaching out for him from below. Kyoko screamed at the sudden change in gravity, and Naruto gritted his teeth as he landed in crouch near the front of steps going to the front doors. Looking back over his shoulders, he noticed the zombies were looking over in their direction the longer Kyoko screamed.

Realizing this, he placed a hand over her mouth and dashed inside.

As soon as he got to the front doors, he heard more screams coming from the direction of the track they had come from outside. Coming to stop with the sobbing Kyoko still in his arms, he realized with horror that Teshima's P.E. class had been outside and were most likely being attacked by whatever his fellow teachers had turned into.

The overwhelming sense of guilt hit him, but he quickly shook it off.

The entire school was filled with students, and he had to at least get them out of there to safety!

Quickly slamming the doors shut with his feet before locking them, he looked towards Kyoko who was silent. Setting her down on her feet, he grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Kyoko-chan…"

She didn't answer and continued to stare at her hands and clothes, which were dirtied with the blood splatter of people they had moments ago called colleagues. Colleagues who had suddenly become monsters that only existed on the silver screen!

"Kyoko-chan…"

There was no response to his voice at all, and he could hear her breath quickening and her pulse rising. Every symptom of someone about to hyperventilate was displayed by the woman.

Having enough and knowing that now wasn't the time for her to lose herself, Naruto tightened his grip on her shoulders.

"KYOKO! SNAP OUT OF IT!"

On his back, he could feel the zombies bumping into the door. Their guttural groans sent shivers of disgust down his spine, and it was much to his relief that it seemed to also bring Kyoko back to reality. Immediately she stared up at Naruto with fearful eyes.

"U-Uzumaki-san! What are these things?"

Shaking his head, he gave her a small grin.

"I'm not exactly sure, but we can't worry about that now…the students…we have to get them out of here somehow."

Peering over his shoulders at the monsters, he grimaced as he looked into the face of the mutilated zombie-fied Math Teacher banging against the door as the other monsters. Turning his attention down to the woman clinging to his shirt, he knew the decision he was going to have to make.

"Kyoko-chan..."

Looking up at him, she didn't expect the resigned grin that he gave her.

"I need you to go and get Imamura-kun and Miku-chan from my office and head straight to the Nurse's office."

Shaking her head, she clung onto Naruto while staring in his eyes.

"B-But what about you? I can't just leave you here by yourself!"

Somehow finding the strength to genuinely smile, he placed his hand on her cheek.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine…I need to go to towards the classrooms and announce what is happening to the school…I had been able to tell Komuro-kun to go warn the classes upstairs and get his friends but I know that most of the teachers would believe this is some kind of prank."

The bumps against the door started to get a bit more forceful and it was only due to his natural above-average strength and the doors structure, which kept the door from being broken down immediately by the force being exerted on it from the other side. Honey eyes widened a bit at the sight they all made against the door, and Naruto being the only thing holding them back from getting into the school.

More tears welled up in her eyes, because no matter what the blond said, she knew that he was going to sacrifice himself just to give her a chance to run.

"Come on Kyoko-chan, please go…I will meet you at Shizuka-chan's office, I promise…and if there's one thing you should know about me, then it's that I keep my promises."

No matter how much he would try to reassure her, she knew that he would most likely be taken down as soon as he moved from the door. But, he was promising to meet her there at the Nurse's office with sincerity, and somehow looking in his eyes…she believed him despite how absurd it was to do so.

Another body was piled up against the door, banging against the thick glass doors with its head.

"I'll be able to hold this door for a bit longer and then when you're bit a ways from here then I will make my way towards the office…hopefully someone is already there and maybe will make the announcement before I get there, because there was no way that our security system didn't catch what happen in the front!"

The door was banged on once more but with more force as if there were more of them piling up outside. Using some chakra to augment his strength, he frowned.

"Hurry, I'm not sure how much longer this will take! Also bring my briefcase with you and tell Imamura-kun that I am leaving you and Miku-chan in his care until I meet up with you!"

Stepping back in a shock, she hesitated for another second before nodding.

"Also, I think it would be best to take off those heels of yours Kyoko-chan and hold them…they are attracted to sound from what I've noticed and if I can hear you walking down the hallway to give me my doom everyday then I know they will hear you as well."

Blushing with a scowl at the aforementioned comment, she shook her head before nodding. Quickly stepping out of her shoes, she held them in her hands and moved towards the hallway. Coming to a stop right around the corner, she felt the tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

"I'll never forgive you if you don't get to the Nurse's office! You promised so I expect you to keep it Uzumaki, besides….We haven't had that talk about last night."

Grinning he gave her a thumbs up. He knew that he would be making the same mistake as he did when he was a young boy, but Naruto knew he had to reassure the understandably scared woman before she would leave.

"Don't worry, I'll meet you there…that's a promise of a lifetime."

Closing her eyes, she brushed away her tears as she quickly ran down the hall. More tears began to fall as moments later, Kyoko heard the door finally give away with a groan as she turned the corner down the next hallway going towards his office. There was nothing that she could do now. All that she could do was fulfill Naruto's request and hope that he made it away from those _**Things**_.

Skidding down the hallway, she gasped softly as she saw some of the _**Things**_ roaming the hall she was about to turn into. Doubling back, she made her way down another hallway that leads to Naruto's office. She was happy to see there were none of those _**Things**_ there yet, and so it would be their possible escape route from this side of the school.

Minutes later she came to a stop in front of the Guidance Counselor's office, Kyoko opened the door and dashed in. Pressing her back against the closed door, she didn't give the two teens the chance to question her.

"We need to get out of here now, there is something happening and I have no idea on how to explain it…Uzumaki-kun has told me to take you two to the Nurse's office and wait there for him to meet us."

Miku immediately jumped to her feet, worry clear on her face.

"W-What? What is going on? Where is Uzumaki-sensei?"

Kyoko shook her head, "He had stayed behind to keep these creatures…t-these _**Things**_ back at the front door in order to give me enough time to get here, but I don't have time to explain it now...you two need to come with me to the Nurse's office."

Walking over towards Naruto's desk, she grabbed his suitcase and noticed the pipe lying on Naruto's desk. Blinking in confusion, she briefly wondered how she didn't notice the pipe and for a moment felt like scolding the blond man but sobered as she realized that she may never actually get that chance.

Closing her eyes, she bit her lip, grabbed the pipe and held it out to the surprised Imamura.

"Take it, it will be useful."

The auburn-haired teen took the offered weapon without protest, but blinked in confusion at the possible meaning behind the act as well as her words.

"Hayashi-san?"

Shaking her head, she turned to him with a determined look and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"Naruto had told me to tell you that he is leaving Miku-san and I in your care until he meets with us at the Nurse's office."

Imamura had stiffened at the statement and looked at the woman with a certain look of fear in his eyes, which surprised her more than it probably should have.

All of the faculty knew that Naruto had personally invested himself into this boy's life, and had made excellent progress in turning him around from the path he had been on. But she didn't realize that the boy had felt any kind of emotion towards the blond until that moment.

Others would believe that this fear was for himself and the girls, but no, Kyoko could tell that this was not the case. This fear in his eyes wasn't for the unknown enemy that he was supposed to be protecting the both of them from as they made their way towards the Nurse's office.

No, it was fear for what fate has supposedly fallen upon the man he looked up to.

Gritting his teeth as he heard Kyoko make it to the end of the hallway, Naruto knew that the door would only be able to take so much before giving away. Filtering his chakra down to the soles of his shoes, he counted to ten in his head. He was about to take a gamble, and if it went wrong then the same fate that had befallen his co-workers would also happen to him.

But that's not going to stop him from trying.

After all, maybe Lady Luck was still looking out for him as she had in the past?

Reaching ten, he sent a quick prayer to the kami as he jumped from the door and watched as the only thing holding the horde of undead from invading the school at this end fell. Using the chakra on the bottom of his feet, he skidded towards the wall as he brought his hands up and quickly ran through seals.

Tiger…Rabbit…Dog…Ram…Dragon.

'_Fūton: Kazekiri no Jutsu!'_ (Wind Release: Wind Cutter)

Blades of wind formed before him and shot out towards the undead bodies at unnatural speeds. Like a hot knife slicing through butter, the blades cut through the creatures with ease. Naruto watched in satisfaction as the bodies toppled over while their dark blood pooled out to mingle with the blood splatters, glass, and heads that covered the ground after the first strike of the wind blades.

Much to his relief, the blades had made it through most of the horde (which had somehow grown larger) before dissipating. Not that he had expected any less from the technique, but it had been a concern at least for a second. The ones that were left had been practically buried beneath their now headless horde-mates. Grinning, he released his chakra before sagging down a bit with a frown.

Raking his hands through his hair in frustration, he checked his chakra levels and sighed at the slightly sizeable dip.

"Hmmm…so this is how the others used to feel? Life sucks without back up supply of chakra in your belly."

Despite knowing of the change the absence of the Kyuubi did to him for years now, he still couldn't help but feel irritated at the handicap he would have to deal with when using his chakra for the more flashy moves in his repertoire. It was only the fact that he naturally had a large supply of chakra that allowed him to still use those moves, though they were less powerful due to him needing to conserve his chakra instead of getting to flood the jutsus with chakra without a care like he had in his younger years.

Pushing himself away from the wall, he turned and began running down the hall towards the only staircase leading towards the second floor. But as soon as he came to the end of the hallway, his eyes widened in disbelief.

There in front of him littering the hallways were the zombie-like creatures going up the stairs where the classrooms were. From the white sweatshirts and green shorts, Naruto knew that Teshima's students from outside were trickling into this school; Seeking out the living in the school.

Kicking one of the zombies who came too close into a wall, he began to shift through the staggering creatures all the while not making a sound. Coming to the foot of the stairs, the intercoms suddenly sparked to life.

"_**All teachers, there has been an incident at the front gates. I would advise that all teachers calmly escort the students off of the campus until the situation is taken care of…"**_

Suddenly the sound of broken glass and the doors being knocked down echoed all around the school through the intercoms. Everything stood still in space as everyone listened as the Headmaster was attacked by an unknown assailant.

"_**NO! NO! SOMEONE HELP ME! -" **_

Once his screams ended, a chorus of screams followed all around the school. Mingling with the groans of the _**Things**_ roaming the school. The scent of Death saturated the halls, as well as blood.

It was at that moment that Naruto truly realized that the peaceful world that he had come to know was at an end.

* * *

Yay! I've made it to the end of chapter 1 and Part I of Spring of the Dead! I know you're all probably wondering why I'm breaking it into two parts right? Well it's all due to the fact that I had to do it in order to not put myself off of the story due to working on one chapter for longer than I should have to. I'm telling you, I'm only in the beginning of the Zombie Invasion of Fujimi Academy. It was only around 6,000 words or so into the chapter that I realized that. So in order to keep my interest alive in this story, I am breaking it up into two parts!

I am so happy with the reviews I've gotten so far, and can't wait to read the ones I will hopefully get for this one. Also I hope that this chapter doesn't disappoint you all, because it was your support that has been keeping me going so far.

**Next Time**

**Chapter 2: Spring of the Dead, Part II**

"_I will try my best to make sure that you all survive, Dattebayo!"_


	3. Spring of the Dead, Part II

**Disclaimer:** I don't own H.O.T.D. (Highschool of the Dead) or Naruto; those rights belong to their respective creators. I'm just borrowing their works with no intention of making profit, but to entertain the few individuals who read my attempts at storytelling.

**Pairing(s):** Toshimi Niki is going to be with Imamura Daisuke. (Imamura is a canon character of the H.O.T.D. manga; Daisuke was the name I gave him due to him known only as Imamura due to him dying in the beginning)

**Author's Note:** Well here we are at Chapter 2 and the final part of the "Spring of the Dead" arc. I'm just surprised at how many people seemed to like this story. Seriously, I had no idea that it would garner this much attention…not that I'm not pleased of course. First, I'm sorry for the late update, but things had been a bit hectic while I was working on it. I was hit with a writer's block, but somehow managed to work my way through it before being distracter with all the drama that is going on in my family, and my own personal enemy – procrastination. Also I apologize for any spelling or grammar mistakes, etc. I seriously need to find a beta, whom would be able to put up with my antics.

But I do feel I have to address the "Chakra" issue that several people felt they had to comment on. As much as I love Naruto, and I seriously _**LOVE**_ that silly blond. He does _**NOT**_ have a "Limitless" supply of chakra by himself. He has a naturally large amount of chakra due to his heritage as an Uzumaki, yes. He was spamming thousands of shadow clones on a daily basis with his own chakra, even when he was a child, yes. Never said he hadn't and never really gave that impression. But if he could even hope to claim having a "Limitless" supply of chakra, it is because he has the Kyuubi's chakra constantly being recycled through the seal on his stomach and then added to his own; essentially filling the gaps he left with his excessive use of chakra due to his poor chakra control.

Naruto has the ability to use the Kyuubi's chakra instead of his, yes. But that is not what I was hinting at in the chapter, not using that as an excuse to somehow make him weaker than he would be with the Kyuubi. People seem to get things twisted with the aforementioned use of the Kyuubi's chakra that was shown throughout the series. And this causes me to bring out the old phrase from a certain Hatake: "Look underneath the underneath."

The two aforementioned things (Naruto using the Kyuubi's chakra instead of his own, and the Kyuubi's chakra being constantly adding into the blond's chakra stores due to the seal giving him this so-called "limitless" supply of chakra) are not the same thing. My point is: I know what I'm doing, and I know what I'm talking about.

Thanks for what you think is good advice, but I've been watching Naruto for a very long time.

I've got it bros.

I do have to thank one particular reviewer – _whodidwhatnow_!

Thanks to that YouTube video, I have an epic moment planned for later on in the story. You'll have to wait for it though. Also people don't worry about me making Naruto weak, because I really am not. He was just a bit out of his element in the last chapter. Years of not having to constantly be on guard or continue to sharpen his shinobi skills form the war. I mean come on people, look at Kakashi! He was ANBU, but "retired" from that branch and became a Jōnin. With him not being as active as he had been, he ended up being caught by Zabuza; someone who shouldn't even in his league in my personal opinion.

Besides seeing the living dead isn't something that you can just shake off. Even if you're a ninja!

He's faced demons, he's faced ghosts, and he's faced megalomaniacs bent on world domination, but not the undead as far as I'm concerned. He has not faced anything like the undead in this series. Yes, I have read about Kabuto in the recent chapters, don't even think about it. Yes, those people were basically "undead", but they had minds and didn't eat people's throats out. These "undead" beings are mindless beasts that rely on nothing more than animal instinct.

Finally, with those having an issue with Naruto having one or two younger women (two being the limit, and even then it would take some time for those two to actually become women in Naruto's eyes). Please try to get over it. Honestly, I've seen worse pairings. Besides I don't know any young men in the show who would be able to handle the two girls I plan on having with Naruto eventually. Even then it is because he is the only male _**they**_ are attracted to at this point in the story. If their feelings change as the story goes along then so be it, but until then I am sticking with my decision.

Well, let's get on with it~

* * *

_**Maelstrom of the Dead**_

**Chapter 2: Spring of the Dead, Part II**

"_Naruto, if anything were to ever happen…I expect you to look after Shizuka for me."_

_Blinking in surprise at the sudden statement and lack of pet names, Naruto turned around to face his girlfriend of three years while propping his head up on the palm of his hand. Lying next to him in all of her glory, the purple-haired woman stared at him with an expression that he had never seen on her face before in his life. Resting his hand against her cheek, the blond frowned._

"_What brought this on?"_

_For a moment she said nothing, but then she grasped his hand in her own. Wine red eyes peered up into his blue, and she spoke once again._

"_You have to promise me that no matter what happens, you will always be there for Shizuka…promise me."_

_Confusion was clear on his face, but he could see the desperation in her eyes and like always he couldn't help but concede to the wishes of the woman he was sure that he was truly in love with. Giving her a comforting smile, he nodded before leaning over and pressed a kiss against her lips. His fingers dragged back into her loose tresses as he locked his gaze with hers._

"_I have no idea what is going on or where this came from, but I promise that I'll look after Shizuka-chan…that's a promise of a lifetime."_

_After that, the couple had lost themselves once again to their passion, and they didn't finish until the sun peeked over the horizon. It was only a day later that the purple-haired woman had declared their relationship over, and left without giving him a reason. _

_He, not even to this day, knew why Rika had asked such a thing of him before doing what she had done. _

_But he didn't have the time to grieve the loss of something he thought would be forever._

_Sometime after that, Naruto had gotten a job as the Guidance Counselor at Fujimi Academy. _

_Pushing away his personal problems to the back of his mind, he threw himself head first into his work. And over time, the hurt from what had happened numbed over as he focused on helping the future generation find their way. Unfortunately, before the wounds could scab over, they were reopened. _

_The day the Academy finally received a full-time nurse, everything that had happened came rushing back to him. He could not stop the memories of a happier time from being brought to the forefront of his mind. Just their presence only reminded him of how things would never be as they once were. On that day, his life became a little harder as the promise he made finally placed a leash around his neck._

_Naruto could remember the bright smile that she had given him, and how he had to force a smile in return._

_She was the best friend of his ex, and the person he had vowed to protect – Marikawa Shizuka._

* * *

Imamura Daisuke was sure that all this had to be some kind of sick joke. Lashing out with a small cry, he crushed the head of one of his former classmates, who had essentially been turned into something that only existed in movies and videogames.

'_Really? Fucking zombies?!'_

Just barely dodging the sudden lunge from the remaining undead creature left in their way to the Nurse's office, if only for the moment, the auburn-haired teen managed to catch himself and swing at the _Things_ back. When it fell to the ground, he took his chance. At the corner of his eye, he saw Miku Yuuki and Hayashi Kyoko watching him with frightened eyes. Gritting his teeth, he put his full weight into the blow to its head, and watched in satisfaction as the thing metal pipe burrowed into its head.

Unfortunately, the thing continued to move and he lifted his weapon above his head before bringing it down with a fierce roar. Blood and brain matter splattered across his face, the walls, and the floor underneath them as his pipe crush the _Thing's_ head to a pulp. Exhaling raggedly, he brought his hand up to his face and wiped away some of the black gore on his cheek. Looking down at his weapon, he cringed in disgust before swinging his pole to the side. Some more body fluids joined the rest on the bloodied floor.

Spitting on the ground near the corpse, he turned his head in the direction of the two women, whom were under his protection. Lifting his hand up above his head, he waved them over.

"Oi, it's safe now, but we don't have enough time to hang around though…I bet this hall will be filled with those things if we wait too long."

Nodding, Kyoko adjusted her glasses on the bridge of her nose.

"Hopefully that won't be the case before we get there, but I can't help but feel uneasy…to think they've been able to get this far into the school already."

Laying the pipe across his shoulders, the brown-eyed teen snorted.

"Well, I think we'll just have to go faster but be even more cautious than we have from here on out."

Sighing, the red-haired woman crossed her arms underneath her chest as she bit her lip.

"You're right, besides that was our appointed rendezvous point wasn't it?"

Brushing his hair away from his face, Daisuke was about to answer when a question cut him off.

"Do you really think Uzumaki-sensei will meet us there?"

Startled by the sudden question, the two snapped their heads in Yuuki's direction. The girl hadn't spoken a word since they had left the Guidance Counselor's office, and barely made a sound after they encountered their (Daisuke and Yuuki's) first encounter with those _Things_. Not moving an inch from where she was, the orange-haired girl held onto the briefcase the older woman had handed over to her sometime during their run. Pressing the bag closer to her chest, she looked down at the ground as she chewed on her bottom lip uncertainly. All-in-all, it was another side of the usually confident girl that they had never seen before; at least that was what it was for Kyoko.

For Imamura, it was a glimpse to the side that the other teen had only allowed Uzumaki-sensei to see. And if he was to be honest, he knew that if he were even into younger women, he would've found this side of her attractive.

'_Not that anyone would have a chance, Miku wouldn't settle for anybody but Uzumaki-sensei anyway.'_

Sighing, Kyoko looked at her from over the top of her glasses.

"He promised me that he would meet us there, and I see no reason to not believe him."

Of course, she only said this in order to keep the girl calm. This was not a time for the girl to possibly become hysterical and draw all the creatures towards them. Besides, as much as she would like to believe that the blond would meet them at the Nurse's Office…

'_There's a chance that he hadn't even made it a step away from the door before he was taken down by those **Things**…'_

Shuddering at the memory of the creatures that were once co-workers of hers pounding on the door, and Naruto being the only thing holding them back, Kyoko bit her lip as she looked away from the two teens. Even if there was a chance that the Guidance Counselor hadn't made it, at least they could hold on to a bit of hope. After all, the man was always unpredictable…maybe he somehow made it away in time.

At her words, Yuuki's eyes widened before she came to stand right next to the woman.

"Y-You said that Uzumaki-sensei _**promised**_ you to meet us there?!"

A little taken aback by the sudden change in the girl, and the emotion behind her words, she only nodded.

Moving away from the older woman, the orange-haired teen's lip curled up into a warm and adoring smile. Her arms tightened once more around the briefcase as she closed her eyes and nodded.

"If he promised then I know we shouldn't worry, he'll meet us there for sure, because Uzumaki-sensei always keeps his promises!"

Opening her eyes, she turned her gaze down the hallway.

"We're not that far away from the Marikawa-sensei's office, and Uzumaki-sensei may already be there...we should hurry up."

Before either of them could stop her, she took off down the hallway. Kyoko was the first to snap out of her stupor, and went after the younger female without hesitation. Imamura cursed as he followed behind them. Going down the hallway, a sense of utter peace took its place in Yuuki's heart. Once they met up with the blond-haired man, there would be nothing to be afraid of. He would never allow any harm to come to those under his protection, nor break any of his promises.

'_After all, if he had then I wouldn't be who I am today?'_

No one else had shown such sincere concern for her as long as she could remember. It doesn't help that most the attention she got from her fellow students, and the other teachers were negative in a sense. And this became even more so after the rumors of her being loose began to circulate. So, it was a surprise to her when she had met the literal ray of sunshine called Uzumaki Naruto, who held out his hand to her when no one else would.

He looked beyond her desirable features, the rumors, and even her own wild behavior in order to see her true feelings and desires. Yuuki knew that she would always love him for that; for giving her what she had always wanted. And while things hadn't immediately gone smoothly, as she suspected that he was after one thing like the other males she has dealt with in her life. She would never trade the time she spent with him for anything in this world, and she was certain that he would meet them there because that is what he promised Hayashi-sensei.

'_I'm sure that Uzumaki-sensei has a plan of some kind, and no matter what comes after he will make sure that everything turns out okay.'_

Determination hardened in her eyes as she continued forward.

No matter what happened, as long as she was with the blond-haired man then she knew that everything would be alright. Once she was with him, she would always follow him, even if it were into the pits of hell itself. Stopping briefly to wave back at her two companions, she smiled.

In this new world possibly filled with undead creatures, she wanted to be nowhere but by the side of the man she loved.

Even if being by his side led Yuuki to her death; she would have no regrets.

* * *

Smashing the head of what had to be his 58th zombie-reject since he reached this side of the school, Naruto cursed as two more made their way towards him. It seemed that every time he killed once, two more of them would appear to replace it. Dashing forward suddenly, he had to ignore the high-pitched squeak that fell from the lips of the girl currently on his back, lashing out with his feet; he kicked the two _Things_ through the nearby windows with ruthless force. Landing in a crouch on the ground, he adjusted his grip on the girl as she pressed her face into the back of his neck.

Rising to his full height, the Guidance Counselor turned his head to look at the girl he had managed to save from being mauled.

"Toshimi-chan, you can open your eyes now."

A few moments passed before the girl lifted her head and stared up at him with scared green eyes from underneath brown bangs. Sending the frightened girl a grin, he turned to gesture down the hall with his head.

"The hallway is clear for now and we're almost close to the staircase leading towards Shizuka-chan's office, hopefully we'll not run into anymore of those _Things_."

Nodding, she tightened her arms around his neck and hid her face once more into the back of his neck without making another sound. For a moment, Naruto's eyes flashed with sorrow for the girl on his back.

The girl's name was Toshimi Niki, and Naruto could honestly admit that he was surprised that she had survived as long as she had before he saved her from the undead horde that had surrounded her. Not only was it obvious that she had no kind of physical skills or any experience in defending herself, but she also had a sprained ankle. So, anyone could imagine his surprise when he found the girl holed up with a locker, safe from the _Things_ that were clawing at the metal mindlessly in their attempts to get to the girl.

Naruto had been making his way towards the gym when he came across the scene, and within seconds he had destroyed the creatures when he heard the cries coming from the locker. When he had finally gotten her out of the locker, she had broken down into hysterics. It had only been his personal experiences and training in dealing people in such states, which allowed him to understand what she was saying. And the story of how she ended up in her current position made him sick to his stomach.

Betrayal wasn't a new subject to him, especially with having to deal with such things in his previous world and even here in this new one he had come to call home. Regardless, the blond always held a high expectation on the concept of friendship. What happened to this girl, Naruto wouldn't wish to happen upon his worst enemy.

No one deserved to go through what this young lady has gone through, and he was saddened by the fact that she had to experience such a thing in the first place.

Toshimi and her friend, Ichijo Misuzu, had managed to escape the _Things_ which had taken most of their classmates, and they had been their way towards the exit in the gym. Unfortunately, the brown-haired girl had managed to trip and sprained her ankle while a small group of those _Things_ had heard the pained yelp that flew from her mouth.

Without a thought, her friend had abandoned her but not before kicking the girl down a small set of stairs that led to a path towards the locker rooms. Shocked at what her friend had done, she had called after her but the girl didn't stop and continued on her way to the gym. Toshimi didn't know if Ichijo had truly escaped, because she quickly dragged herself into an open locker due to the creatures that had been drawn to her desperate calls for her friend.

Thankfully, Naruto had been attracted by the noise she was making as well.

Now here they were making their way towards the Nurse's office, where the blond hoped he would be able to meet up with Kyoko, Daisuke, Yuuki, and Shizuka. All of which, he hoped were alive and unharmed.

Quickly making his way down the hall, he was surprised to hear a scream pierce the air.

"YOU CAN'T BE DEAD! NO! MOUTO-KUN!"

Blinking in surprise, he felt the brown-haired girl stiffen as the screams seemed to get louder. Coming to the end of the hall where the staircase lay, he eyes narrowed at the scene in front of him.

There was a group of students who were pushing back a large group of creatures with startling success, but it appeared that they had allowed themselves to be back into a wall right near the stairs. He did notice a small group of the _Things_ circling something on the ground, and the grief-stricken cry the came from one of the girls reaching out towards that direction. Apparently one of them had been taken by the horde already, and if he didn't do something then the rest would surely follow. Instantly, he calculated how to take them all out with Toshimi on his back, when the said girl broke through his thoughts.

"A-Are you going to save them?"

Blinking, he glanced at her from the corner of his eye as she wiggled slightly in her place on his back. Her grip strengthened, which without her realizing pressed her sizeable chest into his back. Fortunately for her, he had enough control to ignore it as the situation was just too serious for him to be concerned of such things. Plus, the girl was just a bit too young for his taste. He was a grown man, not a hormonal teenager.

"Niki-chan?"

Readjusting his grip on her, he felt her clench the lapel of his suit. Frowning, the blond male couldn't help but once again despair at her loss of faith in her fellow humans. Not that he could blame her after all, especially in these circumstances. Because if someone you viewed as a best friend, if not a sister in all but blood, abandons you without a thought. Why wouldn't someone she barely knows do the same to others?

Grinning widely, he tilted his head to the side and their gazes locked.

"Do you even have to ask Niki-chan? They are also some of my adorable students, and it is my duty as a teacher to guide and protect them."

Once more, he turned his gaze to the group and finalized the plan in his mind. Tightening his grip on the girl's thighs, Naruto tilted his head back a bit. Green eyes stared at him questioningly before he spoke.

"I think you should hold on tight and close your eyes, it will all be over in a second."

Hesitating, she nodded before pressing her face into his shoulder while pushing herself flat against his back.

Immediately after the girl was secure, Naruto pumped chakra into his legs and shot forward like a bullet. A gasp flew from Toshimi's lips against his neck at the sudden movement, before the familiar sound of groaning was practically against her ears. But she wasn't the only one surprised, as shocked but relieved cries came from some of her fellow students. She heard and felt how the blond faculty member took out the abominations with flawless ease, and she only relaxed when she felt him come to a stop.

Opening her eyes, she glanced down and whined fearfully at the _Thing_ gripping the adult's ankle, but she calmed down as she watched the man wrenched his appendage away from the creature with ease. Lifting his leg, he brought his foot down on the horrid creature's head, causing blood and brain matter to be splattered across the wall, floor, and onto his shoe. For a moment, no one moved in the hallway before the girl who cried out earlier tried to break away from her group, and run towards the decimated corpse of what used to be a male student that Naruto had just killed.

As if that was a trigger, everyone came back to reality. Naruto turned around and assessed the states of the students, and was pleased to see that except from some bumps and bruises they were alright. The students themselves looked completely relieved at his arrival, and the former-shinobi knew he would be lying if he didn't feel happy that he had brought such looks to their faces during such a crisis.

Grinning at the group, he made his way over towards them. Coming to a stop a bit away, he nodded towards the boy who stood in the front of them.

"I'm happy to see that others have survived this unexpected turn of events, and I know that you've all fought hard to make it this far…sadly, with things as they are, we cannot relax just yet."

Pinning them all in place with his gaze, a grim frown replaced his grin.

"We are still in danger, and we shouldn't stick around for too long before this way gets crowded by more of those _Things_."

Trailing his eyes among the group, he was surprised that most of them were members from various sports clubs in the school. In front of the ground much to his surprise, was Narukami Akira, the vice-captain of the Kendo club. Like every other time he had seen him during his frequent stops to talk with the Kendo club captain, Busujima Saeko, he still carried that lazy look about him through a certain sense of alertness was showing through. That was something that could easily be attributed to the supernatural occurrence that was happening around them.

His messy black hair seemed even messier than usual, while his usually sleepy eyes were sharp and seemed to take in everything around him. Apparently he had been leaving the school's kendo room when this all occurred, as he was wearing the school's uniform, but in his hands was a club-issued bokken practically covered in the blood of those zombie-like creatures. One of the sleeves of his haori seemed to have been ripped off, but thankfully despite a few scratches and bruises, there were no signs of a bite.

Naruto knew that Narukami was going to be a valuable asset in the current situation, and as much as he was ashamed of thinking that way…it was nothing but the truth.

Out of all the members of the kendo club, Saeko had expressed a bit of pride in her vice-captain in her own way during one of her rare visits to the blond's office. From the way she spoke of him, the shinobi could estimate that his skills were only just under Saeko's when it came to grace, but he had a bit more physical power behind his strikes. The fact that he was able to survive to point with minimal wounds said a lot to the shinobi.

And since Akira had made it, it wasn't a surprise to find that his girlfriend, the captain of Fujimi High's karate team had also made it. Hanamura Sakuya, a pretty strawberry blonde young woman with a fierce tongue and attitude was currently consoling the girl who had brought all of the attention to them with her screams. Unlike her boyfriend, due to her actually having to use her body, she had accumulated more wounds and bruises but thankfully she was also bite-free. Like most would expect of a girl who trained to hone her body into a weapon itself, she held a lithe and toned body with curves. While she didn't rank up there with many of the beauties of Fujimi, she was still a very pretty young woman.

Sakuya was comforting a sobbing Fujii Kimiko, a member of the school's track team. Like as one could expect from a runner, she was slender but was toned. She had a decently curved body, dark eyes and black hair. She was currently wearing the girl's school uniform, and out of everyone she seems to be the most untouched.

Finally, he came to the last member who sometime during his observations was happily skipping around, plucking arrows from the bodies that littered the hallway. Fire engine red hair pulled into a high ponytail swayed with her every movement, while her brown eyes were practically glowing with a positive yet determined energy.

Souma Mizuho was the up-coming new star of the archery team, who had transferred to Fujimi High at the start of this term. Even now he remembered the exuberant girl, who seemed to always have a smile on her face no matter the situation. And now apparently, not even this unusual situation they've found themselves in seemed to have dampened the girl's spirit. Like the other females in the group, she was wearing the school's uniform but she held a bow and several quivers of arrows on her back.

As if she sensed that he was thinking of her, the girl plucked her last arrow from one of the _Thing's_ eye socket and waved at him with it. Managing to send her an exasperated grin of his own, he then turned to stare at Akira as he seemed to snap out of his thoughts.

"Ah, Uzumaki-sensei, I'm glad to see that you've made it…Saeko-senpai would've been very disappointed if you had even up as one of these creatures…she said to pass along that message if I came across you."

Resisting the urge to face palm at the very Saeko-like remark, and the fact that the boy had bothered to remember to deliver such a message during their crisis; Naruto nodded towards him. But before he could say anything else, Sakuya had handed off Fujii off to Souma and got up to slap her boyfriend upside his head. Placing her hands on her hips, she scowled at the confused boy.

"So the reason why you've been reluctant to leave the building was because you felt that you had to deliver a message to someone who could've already been dead?!"

Blinking at her silently, Akira rubbed the side of his head with a bored look.

"It was a request from Captain Busujima; I couldn't just not at least try fulfilling it."

For a moment, the girl gaped at him while Naruto only sighed.

It seemed that the boy's respect for his captain was still high, and he had even deemed it worthy to follow through with a request that pretty much would've killed him. He had no idea what the young woman had done to gain such respect and loyalty from Akira, and he honestly wasn't sure that he wanted to know. Clenching her fists, she gnashed her teeth. But before she could let loose on the boy, Naruto stopped her.

Drawing the attention of more of those _Things_ wasn't what they needed at the moment, and if he had allowed it then they surely would've hurried to their location.

"Yes, there were a couple close calls but I've managed…I'm glad to see that you have all made it."

Turning his gaze on the rest of them, he made eye contact with each one of them before coming to rest on the narrowed pair glaring up at him from beneath black bangs. His lips thinned at the sight, and he made a mental note to keep a watch on the girl. Sakuya continued to grit her teeth before growling in frustration. Glancing over at her boyfriend, she bared her teeth at him.

"Once we get somewhere safe, we're going to have a long talk about your priorities."

Wincing at the promise in those words, the Guidance Counselor said a small prayer for the boy.

He was seriously going to need it if the girl's temper was half as bad as the 12-year-old Sakura on a good day. The stories he has heard about the strawberry blonde's prowess certainly isn't anything to sneeze at.

Bouncing in her spot while being mindful of the mournful Fujii, Souma grinned widely as she assessed Naruto with sharp brown eyes.

"Well since we have no idea what to do, I think it would be wise for us to stick with you Uzumaki-sensei…besides form what I've seen, you would be a major asset to our group."

Giving him a thumbs up along with her large grin, the former-shinobi was a bit disturbed at the reminder of Might Guy and Rock Lee's signature "Good Guy" pose being done by a student of his.

"As long as you have some idea of how to get out of here, then I have no problems following your lead!"

The sentiment seemed to be shared amongst the group, though reluctantly by the black-haired girl who scowled at him whenever he glanced in her direction. Raising an eyebrow, he shook his head before readjusting Toshimi on his back.

"As a matter of fact, I do have a plan on how to get out of the school, but I first need to meet up with a group of people at the Nurse's Office before I go through with it…Toshimi-chan and I were making our way there when we came across your group."

Everyone's eyes locked onto the girl who was currently hiding her face in his neck, though they could see a hint of green before it disappeared behind brown bangs. Naruto readjusted his hold on her before continuing, "It is my duty as a faculty member of this school to look after all of you, and I promise that I'll get you all out of here safely to the best of my ability."

All of them nodded, and sent him small smiles in their own way in agreement. Well that was besides Fujii, whom only nodded while clinging onto the Souma's arm. Nodding, the Guidance Counselor gestured towards the stairs with his head.

"If we go this way, then it will not take more than two minutes to reach our destination but always be aware of your surroundings."

Grinning, he turned his back towards them and began moving on ahead.

"We will need to hurry...this place will probably be crawling with _Them_ if we hang around too long."

Going up the stairs, he didn't need enhanced hearing to pick up on the pairs of footsteps that followed him. Looking ahead, Naruto lips thinned as his thoughts jumped forward towards the Nurse's office and the people he hoped were still there and safe. He hoped with everything that he had, that Imamura, Miku, and Kyoko had made it to Shizuka. There was no telling what he would do if he finds that they had been overrun by those _Things_, because he had been too slow to reach them. In hindsight, he knew that it was probably wrong for him to place the responsibility of the two females' well-beings in the younger male's hands until he made it back.

Unfortunately, at the time he had no other option.

Yeah, he could've and should've probably sent a clone along with Kyoko, but he had to conserve enough chakra to do what he was planning later. And even then, he had used quite a bit of his chakra during his trek through the school corridors. Not that it made too much of an impact on his actual chakra reserves, but the amount of control he had to exert did make him a little tired mentally. Chakra control has never been his strong suit, and now after not having to use his chakra for years…his control was pretty much shot to hell.

'_Whenever I get the chance, I'm definitely going to have to work on my control…if things get as bad as I think they will…then I'm sure that every bit of control I gain will matter greatly…'_

While he was making his way through the school, he had used plenty of jutsu when appropriate. It was during the using jutsu that took out multiple targets, he noticed that he used a bit more chakra than he needed. And while it would take a while for him to use every last drop of chakra, he still became leery of the fact that it could happen if he wasn't careful.

It was the whimper coming from Toshimi that brought his mind back from his thoughts. At the top of the stairs, there was a group of three creatures munching away on a corpse. Sneering, Naruto disappeared in a blink of an eye to the students. With a swing of his legs, the three undead creatures were sent flying through the windows that were right behind him. Their almost pained groaning began to fade aware before a sickening crack indicated that they had hit the concrete below.

Looking down the hallway, Naruto sighed in relief at the relatively empty hallway.

Turning to look back at the students following him, he sent them a solemn look.

"Thankfully this hall is clear, but I have a feeling that things are only going to get more difficult from here on out."

Receiving nods from them all, he turned around ready to lash out at the next abomination that came their way.

"Let's go."

* * *

Placing as many medical supplies into the bag as she could, Marikawa Shizuka shook her head at the thought of what was happening around her. It figures that the day she had mustered up enough courage to ask her crush on a date, that the world would end.

"Marikawa-san…"

Dragged out of her thoughts by the voice, she looked over at her assistant Ishii Kazu, who was holding a satchel filled with medical supplies. Nervous brown eyes stared at her through his round blue-rimmed glasses, when he realized that the woman's dazed brown eyes were pinned on him. Tightening his grip on the strap of the bad, and pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, he gathered the courage to continue.

"I'm not sure I understand why we're still waiting in here, when it would be safer if we get out of the school."

Blinking slowly, the busty blonde woman crossed one arm under her chest while she brought a hand up to grasp her chin. "Well, let's see…I am waiting for someone, and I'm sure that he will get here eventually…I think that it would be better if we waited for him to get here."

Gulping, he gripped the strap with both hands as he shuffled nervously on his feet.

"Waiting for whom, Marikawa-san?"

Clapping her hands together with her usual airy smile, she tilted her head to the side as she continued to stare at the second-year student, who along with the most recent guests had protected her from those _Things_.

"Naruto-kun of course, I'm sure that he will be here any minute now…besides the rest of our little group are also here for that exact same reason."

Turning her gaze to the said guests, she and Ishii met the four pairs of eyes that were on the other side of the room.

Standing by the door with the pipe lying across his shoulders was Imamura Daisuke, one of Naruto's precious students that Shizuka had heard so much about from the kind man. With his weapon, he had been a large asset to keeping this room from being overrun by the group of undead that had tried to get a bite of the Nurse's and assistant's flesh.

On the other side of the door, leaning against the wall was Busujima Saeko, the captain of the kendo club, who had finished off the rest and saved Ishii's life. It had been her finesse with her weapon along with Imamura's ferocity, which has kept them alive and unbitten up to this point.

The only thing that showed that anything actually happened, was the broken window, gore splatters on the wall and floors, and the bandages that covered the scratches Kazu had

By the window stood Hayashi Kyoko, who was to their current knowledge, the only teacher that had survived so far. She was currently holding the second bag, which contained bandages and other lighter supplies. It was with her help, that they would be able to bring everything that would certainly be of use to them once they started to leave the school and outside of it as well.

Miku Yuuki, another student of Shizuka's crush, was currently sitting on one of the cots near the wall. She had her knees pulled up to her chest, while leaning forward against the briefcase that was between her chest and thighs. Her golden eyes were pinned to the door with a desperate light, and the older woman could tell who she hoped to see. It was the same for most of the people in here in the room, (sans Ishii, but then again he didn't know the man personally) and with each passing second that he didn't show up. The fear that he wasn't going to make it, started to creep into their mind.

Kyoko, herself was filling that sense of dread with everything tick of the clock on the wall near her. She was sitting behind Shizuka's desk, and was once again tried the phone to see if she could get in contact with the police. While most would consider it useless, the red-haired woman felt that she at least had to do something to occupy herself from the situation as they waited. Not to mention, it gave her something to do instead going insane with worry that the blond hadn't made it and was possibly roaming the halls as one of those _Things_!

Placing the phone down on the hook as she once again received the same message from the automated voice message system, she crossed her arms underneath her chest. Closing her eyes, she bit her lips before shaking her head.

'_No, I must think positive…it will not do for me to think so negatively, and even if I do want to think of the worst case scenario…I must at least keep strong for the students.'_

Opening her eyes, she peered at the said students over the rim of her glasses before looking over at Shizuka. The blonde woman was still staring off into space when suddenly her head perked up. Before anyone could ask her what was wrong, the sound of footsteps coming from down the hall reached Saeko's ears. At the corner of Imamura's eye, he noticed the smirk that slithered onto her face and he raised a brow.

"Oi, Busujima, what is that look for?"

Very slowly, the purple-haired girl turned her head towards him. A close-eyed smile formed on her face, and she then threw a glance in the direction of everybody else in the room.

"It seems that our wait is possibly over."

Reaching forward, she slid the door open and took a step outside with her bokken by her side. Mindful to step over the headless corpse lying in front of the door. Yuuki perked up from her position, and was over at the door so fast, that the others suspected that teleportation had to be involved. Taking a few steps till he was out of the room, Imamura's eyes widened and the corner of his lip curled up despite his attempts to stop it.

"Well I'll be damned…"

At those words, the rest of the occupants quickly came to stand out in the hallway and took in the sight at the end of the hall.

In the front of what had to be a group of students, was Naruto, kicking away and smashing the heads of some undead with his feet. Behind him, they could see some of the students following suit. Saeko in particular saw her vice-captain, and couldn't help the small smile that formed on her face. It seemed that he had read the hidden message he was giving him, and had followed it through despite what was going on. Not for the first time, she patted herself on the back for her choice of vice-captain.

Golden eyes were bursting with elation and love at the sight of her teacher, who was practically unharmed. Clutching his briefcase in her arms, the young woman couldn't wait to show him that she had kept it safe all this time. Glancing over at the red-haired woman that she had reassured earlier, she smiled at the shocked yet relieved look on the ping pong club's advisor's face.

Now the older woman would see why she held so much faith in the man. Like she said, when Uzumaki-sensei made a promise, he always fulfills it no matter what!

Behind them, a smiling Shizuka stood with a gapping Ishii as they watched the Guidance Counselor smash the head of the remaining creature with a splat. Not a moment of silence passed before an exclamation broke the silence in the hall.

"Uzumaki-sensei!"

Snapping out of their collective daze, everyone's eyes darted towards the orange-haired girl running to the blond man with tears streaming down her face. The man in question blinked in shock, before a small compassionate smile slid onto his face. As the girl pressed herself into his chest, she clenched her fingers into his suit coat as she muffled her cries into his shirt.

Looking up from the girl, he locked eyes with Imamura and sent him a proud smile. The auburn-haired male's cheeks darkened a bit before he snorted and turned his head the other way, trying to hide how embarrassed he was at the look of pride on his mentor's face. He missed the fond look Naruto sent him, and the older man only shook his head with a tiny chuckle. Readjusting the girl on his back, he then looked at the other gathered in the hall outside the Nurse's room.

He wasn't surprised to see Saeko had made it, and by the fact she was untouched meant that the undead she came across didn't stand a chance against her. The fact that her bokken was also clean, told him that her overall technique has improved. And if what he was getting from that look she was giving him, it wouldn't be long when they have gotten to safety before she challenged him to spar.

'_Not that I can't say that I'm looking forward to it.'_

Standing near the door was a shock Kyoko, and he couldn't help but send her a playful grin. The woman looked like she was seeing a ghost, and he didn't have the faintest clue why he found the thought a bit humorous. After seeing that she too was unharmed, his eyes drifted to the last two standing with them. His sharp eyesight took in the boy's features, and he immediately deduced that this was Ishii Kazu, the boy who had been helping in the Nurse's office since before they acquired a full-time nurse.

Many of the teachers were certain that he was going to be a doctor, and with the knowledge the boy had on anything medical, the blond wouldn't be surprised if he did become one.

'_That is, if the world as we know it hadn't go to hell…'_

Knowing that he couldn't put it off, his eyes then landed on the final person. Warm brown eyes stared at him with an intensity that was usually absent, and he couldn't help but be reminded of another pair. Allowing a pained smile to take residence on his face, he looked only at the blonde woman as he spoke to everyone.

"I'm sorry for the delay, I got a bit sidetracked…but I'm here, like a promised…"

Closing his eyes, his smile became a little less forced as Rika's face came to his mind.

"…and I always keep my promises no matter what."

* * *

Alright, I've gotten to the end of Chapter 2 and closed the "Spring of the Dead" Arc!

I'm so happy with the number of reviews that I've gotten so far and I can't wait to read the reviews I will hopefully get for this chapter. I am truly sorry for the huge delay with this chapter. Hopefully this chapter didn't disappoint anyone, because it has been all of your support that has been keeping me going honestly. But if I did disappoint, then well I'll try to make it up to you in the next chapter. Hopefully this doesn't have to be the case, but if it is then there is no use for me crying over spilt milk.

The rest of Takashi's group, Shido's group, as well as some other characters show up in the next chapter. Just thought it would be better to stop here, so I can plan the actually escape from Fujimi Academy for the next chapter a bit more. Besides that, this chapter showed a bit more about Naruto's relationship with Rika. Hopefully you all enjoyed that bit as much as I did coming up with it. Also, as you can see not everything is as it seems in the relationship between Naruto and Shizuka!

More on that will be shown as the story goes on, and I'll even throw in how Naruto and Rika met some time during the length of the story.

Oh, also I'm thinking that the prologue chapter of _"Black Feathers"_ will be posted sometime before I upload the next chapter of M.O.T.D., just to let you guys know. Since it is currently the most popular on my poll, I decided why not. Of course, I should also inform you all that I've also posted a Naruto/Rosario+Vampire crossover idea on the poll and profile as well. Also just to be that kid, I've made a twitter account (link on profile) where I will post information on my progress on fics, new fic ideas, fic contest, my random thoughts, etc. for your enjoyment. :D

Well that's all I've got to say at the moment, see you guys whenever I update again (lol) ~

**Next Time**

**Chapter 3: Escape from the Dead**

"_In order to survive we need to throw all of our differences and petty grudges aside, because if we don't work together then we will all die or worse, end up as one of those **Things**!"_


End file.
